Cutting and folding machine



May 28, 1929. c. J. BECK CUTTING AND FOLDING MACHINE 9 SheetS -Sheet 1 Filed July 27. 1925 May 28, 1929.

C. J. BECK CUTTING AND FOLDING MACHINE Filed July 27, 1925 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 y 23, 1929- c. J. BECK CUTTING AND FOLDING MACHINE Filed July 2'7, 1925 9 Sheets-Sheet 3 May 28, 1929. 7 c j BECK 1,715,271

CUTTING AND FOLDING MACHINE Filed July 27. 1925 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 May 28,1929.

Filed July 27, 1925 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 I J J x l J f A l f I I May 28, 1929. c. J. BECK cuwrrme AND FOLDING MACHINE Filed July 27,. 1925 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 May 28, 1929. c; K 1,. 15,271

CUTTING AND FOLDING MACHINE Filed July 27, 1925 9 Sheets-Sheet 7 May 28, 1929. Q BECK 4 1,715,271

CUTTING AND FOLDING MACHINE Filegi July 27, 1925 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 May 28, 1929.

c. J. BECK 1,715,271

CUTTING AND FOLDING MACHINE Filed July 27, 1925 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 Imaa0f- @wrJfi afl Patented May 28, 1929. i Q

igiazti CHARLES J. BECK, or riiiLAi nthiiih, niinstmmii.

etm'me Aiii) 'irotniite i/rhoHinE.

' ited scope of dimensions.

Other advantages ahd details of construetion will be described more fully in the body of the attached specification and are illustrated clearly in the drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammaticside elevation of the general arrange i'ient of the el'ei'iients 'of which the machine is'coihposed;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation 'of the feeding unit; V I v Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View, taken on the line 8-3, Fig 2; v p

Figsfl and 5 are respecti ely a side elevation, partially in section, an'd'a plan View of the cutting unit; I

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the adjustin means for the folding unit; x

Fig. 7 is a tr' nsverse sectional View taken on the line 7 7, Fig. 6

8 is a sectional elevation taken on the l e Ba a i F ig. Q'is'asectiOhal plan View taken on the line 99, Fig. 8, and Figs. 10, 11, 12, 13 and layare diagrams illustrating the various steps in the process of cutting and folding a sheet of fabric.

Fabric siich'as burlap, of which many coinnercial containers are made, is very diihcult 'nateria'l to handle by machinery, due to its unreliable quality. It is usually packed in" bales for shipment under 'a heavy hydraulic 'pr'essu'rewhich causes the folds toadhere to each other,cai1s'1n's considerable difiicult'y n teediho' automatic ni'achine designed to J. t v i operate upon 1t. H p y In F1Q. 1 of the draWin'gsJI have lllHS- i, 2 Hi I 1 I 't' ,7 r (rated 21L 2 a bale of burlap, or other fabric f of the same genei a c a1 aeter, t e e y 0 which i' passing through a inachine made in adhere to the Web accordance with my invention, sheets 00 and finally. folded ateu and stacked forreniov'al fron the to b'e stitched or otheri vise formed into beg ar otherii ise converted for use. I w

The Web 31in leaving the bale z is passed under and between l osening bars '1 ,p and I 2 Whichiiiay be supported in ahyjsiiitable iiianiier. he knife'like edges of the baifs. Land 2 separate any folds the fabric th at'iiiay I g as it passes into the machine, v H i p p roii'i the straightening bars 1 2the web 1a passes over guide rolls ti-tars 3, 4' aiid 5, all which tend to 'cause a resistance to the passage of 5 the Web passes under a roll 6 Whose surface is ro'i'ighened coating it 'ivith graniilated material such as 'eniery or the like suitably seciired tot-he surface of the roll by cement or like Substance, t t

From the rough roll'ti theiv veb passes to and over a sinooth roll 7 a fio'atii i bai' or roll 8 being interposed between the iol1 s 6 and 7 for the purpose of'iiiaintaiiiing iii- 1n contact between the web and the Surfa'cesoi' said rolls. v i.

Apower driven feed roll 9 engages thQ Q y,gr1pp1ng it between itselfgind the smooth roll 7 andserves to pull the fabric fro' in the bale and feed it to the ciittiiig" uiiit- The cutting unit coin prises pi'iiiiaril yj a fixed blade lOand a revolving hl'a'd'e, 11; Upon the speed at which the feed roll 93am els depends the length ofthe sheet tobe out. I After cutting, the sheet a jdrops .u'phn a conveyer 12 and-is directed to 'the folding unit, anupperbelt '13 overlying and eiigaging the conveyer to assist in the delivery of the sheet to the fielding The folding unit comprises J a fiXed div, 14: secured to a revolvingreel and'a cooperating movable aW 15 suitably mounted insaid reel. Also in the reel is aii'adjiistable blade 16 Whose function is to square thesides of the sheet w With respect to the jaw '14 before the jaw 15 actually contacts therewith, as

Will-be more fully described hereinafter, to

adjacent the folding reel and is provided proper. 1s provlded with an arm 45, which are conwith a pivoted creasing blade 18 which proj ects beyond the periphery of the cylinder and functions to force the sheet between the said jaws. As the surfaces of the two reels recedc, due to their circular movement in opposite directions, the blade 18 is withdrawn, leaving the sheet firmly gripped between the jaws.

The folding reel carries the sheet, in the direction of the arrow ((1,), Fig.1, and. at a predetermined point of the revolution the jaw 15 is released from the jaw 1st, pern1ittingthe. folded sheet to fall on a stacker platform as atw.

It will be understood that the several units are power driven and timed in such a manner as to feed the desired length of fabric to the cutting unit and at the proper time .ever the sheet from the web y. The convey-er 12 is so timed with the cutting mechanism as to receive the sheet and deliver it to the folding unit in such a manner as to permit the jaws 1 1 and 15 to grip the sheet at its centre in order that the sheet may be folded evenly.

Power is supplied to the machine from a suitable source (not shown) through a pinion which meshes wlth a gear 21 from which a suitable train 22 of interchangeable gears is driven. Meshing with the end gear of the train of 'ears 22 is a ear 23 to which is se- ID C1 7 cured a mitre gear 24 which, meshing with a second mltre gear 25, drlves a shaft 26, to the opposite end of which is secured a mitre gear The pinion 20 also drives a gear 32 which 1 serves to rotate the revolving knife blade 11, and the gear 32 drives an intermediate gear 33 which in turn meshes with a gear which functions to rotate the folding reel. Adjustably carried by the said folding reel and driven therewith is a second gear 35 which meshes with a gear 36 by which the inserting blade 18 is rotated.

A pinion 37 may be caused to mesh with the gear 36 for purposes hereinafter stated, but it normally is out of mesh with said gearand remains in a quiescent state.

It Will be noted that the revolving knife blade 11 and the. folding jaws 14l-15 are geared in suchrelation as to receive rotary motion at equal speeds.

' The feed roll 9 1S constructed as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, and

comprises a spindle 10 jeurnaled in eccert bushings 4e1 1 which in turn-are jourmded in heads 4:242 on brackets JAB- 3 secured to the side frames 4ti44. of the machine Each of the eccentric bushings 4:1

nected transversely at their outer ends by a at 53, to receive an adjusting collar 54.

to the spindle i0 is a flanged. sleeve 119 on which is mounted a rubber or other flexible tire 50. Adjacent the tire 50 and recessed to receive the end of the sleeve 49 is a disc 51. The elements 49, 50 and 51 comprise a section, of the feed roll 9, which is duplicated throughout thelen 'th of the spindle 40, tilling collars 52 being interposed. between the sections as shown in Fig. 3. a

Adjacent the end of the spindle opposite the collar 48, the said spindle is threaded as The collar 54 is split and is provided with a lock screw 55.

Should a slight increase or decrease in the diameter of the feed roll 9 become necessary to feed a slight amount, more or less, of the fabric to the cutting blades, the collar 54: if.

turned clockwise will compress the rubber tires to such an xtent that, due to the inner face and side walls being confined, the outer face of the tire will be expanded, thereby increasing the diam-eter and the peripheral speed of the feed roll 9. moven'ient of the collar 5-; will act in the reverse to that just described.

Limit screws 5656are provided on the levers 4.-545, and engage lugs 5'4'57 on the brackets t3i3, to limit the inward movement of the feed roll 9 toward the roll 7.

The rough roll 6 functions to maintain an even tension upon the web y throrghout its entire width so that it will. not sag at the spaces between the points where the tires 50 of the feed roll 9 engage the fabric and the roll 7. I

An apron-60 is pivoted .to the brackets 43-4E3 at 6161 for the purpose of guiding the web to and over the fixed knife blade 10. A spring 62 tends to keep the apron in contact with a cutter frame 63 which maintains the lower edge of said apron just above the fixed knife blade 10.

The frame 63 is of a substantially U-shaped construction, at the ends of which are pro.- vided bearings 64 for a cutter shaft 65. To the connecting leg of the U-shap-ed frame 63 is secured the fixed blade 10.

Secured to the cutter shaft 65 is a cutter frame 66 comprising a transversely eXtending flange '67 having three integral arms 68 68 including hubs 69-69 through which the shaft 65'passes. Diametricallv opposite A counterclockwise carrier element 71, to which the rotaryknife blade 11 is adjustably secured. The construction just described formsa very rigid and substantial frame capable of resisting any abnormal shocks due to'ovcrloading of the knife blades such as may occur when a seam in the fabric web z passes throughthe machine. I

It will be noted that the rotary knife blade 11 is set at an anglewith respect to the fixed blade 10 so that the blades are actually cutting but a small portion of the web at one time. Due to the continuous movement of the web g over the fixed blade 10 and the fact that the rotary blade does not'contact with the fixed blade 10 throughout itsentire length simultaneously, provision must be made for correctingthe angularity or diamond-shaped cut of the sheet, that would otherwise occur.

For the purpose above statedy the frame 63 is provided with a bracket'72through which passes a pivot bolt 73, which-is secured in'a bracket 74 secured to oneofthe side frames 44 of the machine. For the purpose of correcting the angularity of the cut of the web 1 the frame '63 is set at an angle to the longitudinal centre line of the machine and the path of said web. This arrangement provides for the engagement of the lead end of the Fro'ta-ry knife 11 with the fixed blade 1O ahead'of the heel end of said rotary knife (Fig. a distance substantially equal to the difference of elevation between the'two ends ofthe rotary knife ll. As an example should the web be traveling across the fixed blade lO'at a speed substantially equ'alto the peripheral speed of the rotary knife 11, the sheet will be cut square. 7

The frame 63 is secured its adjusted position by bolts 75-75'and 7676, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. V p

It will be noted that the pivot 73 of the frame 63 lies directly in line with the longitudinal centre line of the face'ofthe gear 32,

for the purpose of obviating any detrimental effect which may occur between the gear 32 and the pinions 20 and 33 due to misalignmentof the teeth of these gears. In

Fig. 5, this condition is illustrated in a somewhat exaggerated manner to make this point clear. In practice, the placingof the frame pivot in the described position absolutely prevents any detrimental effect due to this offset condition between the gears, thedegree of offset being so infinitesimal. 1

After the sheet a; is severed from the web y, it fallson the conveyor 12 to be delivered to the folding unit. but due to the fact that the sheet is 'cutfroin one sideto the other profaster than the last cut side due to the drag by the uncut portion of the web on the partial] v out sheet. This condition causes thesheet to i'na-intainithe blade 18 in fall on the conveyer at a slightangie with respect to the longitudinal centre line of the conveyor.

scribed in connection with the folding unit.

The folding unit comprises a reel C0111- posed of a number of plain faced wheels withjournals forreduced circular ends of said aw. On one of the said reduced ends, outside the end'wheel 80, is secured a lever 82, on one of the arms of which is journalc da cam roller 83 designed to engage alternatelya gripping 'cam84 and a r'eleasmg cam 85, which opens and closesthe jaws at'theproper time to grip and release a sheet a respectively. To "the secondarmof the lever 82 is pivoted a rod '86, between the head of which and a bearing '87, pivoted to the wheel 80, is confined'a spring 88 whichtends to maintain the aw 15 in a closed position.

Adjacent to and cooperating with the folding reel is a second reel or cylinder which carries thecreasiii'g blade 18. The creasing reel is composed of a series of plain faced v h i A i I I wheels'90 secured to a transverse shaft 91.

This condition is corrected in amanner and by mechanism hereinafter do- At a The'wheels 90 are recessed to'accominodate ap'ivot bar92 in which the creasing blade 18.

is secured. A spring 93 (Fig; 8) tends to its extended position at'all times.

As the folding r'eel and the creasing reel travel overthetop toward the sheet as and the sheet is traveling toward and between the said reels the creasing blade engages the sheet and forces it back over-the upper face of the fixed jaw 14, as the movable jaw 15 is forced openjby the gripping cam 84. As the roller 88 ridesofl the lower end of the cam 84,i1he aw 15 closes on the sheet andthe blade 18. As the lower portions of the two liil) reels move apart. the blade 18 is withdrawn and the jaw 15 closes tightly on the fabric against'the aw 14. The aws l4 and 15 having gripped the sheet along its transverse centre line, the folding reel functions to fold the two halves of the sheettogether and at the proper time the cam roller 83 engages the releasing cam 85 permitting the jaws to open and allow thefolded sheet to fall by gravity to the stacking platform. 7

Previous to the gripping of the sheet at its centre; the squaring blade functions to equaliy'e the two halves of the sheet. gressively, the first cut side tends to travel The squaring blade 16 is composed of'a fiat metal bar, rounded on its forward edge and having one end pivoted at 94 to the end Wheel 80 of the folding reel, the opposite end being adj ustably secured to the other end wheel 80 at 95, the intervening wheels are slotted to accommodate the rear of the blade.

As the forward end of the sheet as passes from the conveyor to and between the folding and creasing reels, the sheet is engaged by the high; sideof the blade 16 along one edge, thereby drawing the forward corner of the sheet up into transverse alignment with the corner ,at the opposite side of the sheet, which straightens or squares the sheet at the creasing point with the creasing blade and the jaws lt'and 15. This arrangement as sures the four sides of each leaf of the folded sheet being in respective alignment with those of the second leaf of the folded sheet.

The above described operation is diagrammatically illustrated in Figs. 10 to 14, inclusive, of the drawings.

The gear wheel is secured to the shaft 81. The fol-ding reel and the gear wheel 36 are secured to the shaft 91 of'the creasing reel. The gear 34 is a ring gear adjustably secured to a centre plate 96 which is secured to the outer end of the shaft 81 of the folding reel; The ring gear 34; is provided with an. annular T-shaped groove into which project the head portions of lock bolts 97, the shanks of which project through apertures in the centre plate 96.

In order to adjust the folding and creasing reels that they will grip sheets of various sizes, each one at its respective transverse centre line, the lock nuts 98 of the bolts 97 are backed off, the gear pinion 37 is brought into mesh with the gear 36, and by the use of an adjusting crank 99, (Fig. 6), the two reels are turned through the medium of the gears 37 36 and 35,until an indicating finger 100 secured to the centre plate 96 is in registry with the dial marking on the ring gear 34:, consistent with the length of the sheet about to be cut and folded. Thereafter, the lock nuts are again set and the ad- 1 justing gear 37 released from the gear wheel It will be understood that the ring gear and its intermeshing train of operating gears remain stationary throughout the setting operation. I o

Obviously the material or fabric may be in the form of a roll, suitably supported, rather than a bale, in which instance the elements of the machine will function in precisely the same manner as described.

I have shown but one form of my invention in the accompanying drawings, but it will be understood that this illustration is merely for the purpose of providinga means whereby, with the assistance of the above specification, the invention may be clearly understood. Modifications of the detailed constructionmay obviously be made without departure from the essential features of the invention.

. I claim:

1. In a cutting and folding machine, a feeding unit; a cutting unit; a folding unit; and means between said cutting and folding units for squaring a cut sheet with respect to said folding unit.

2. In a cutting and folding machine," an adjustable feeding unit; an adjustable cutting unit; an adjustable folding unit; means for receiving a cut sheet from the cutting unit and delivering it to the folding unit; and means for squaring the cut sheet with respect to the folding unit prior to the folding operation.

3. A folding unit for a cutting and folding machine comprising a rotatable folding reel; a fixed jaw on said folding reel; a movable jaw on said folding reel; and a creasing reel comprising a movable blade pivotally mounted in said creasing reel and extending radially from its pivot said blade being cooperative with the fixed and movable jaws of said folding reel.

4. A folding unit for a cutting and folding machine comprising a folding reel and a creasing reel; gripping jaws on said folding reel; a creasing blade on said creasing reel; and means for squaring a sheet of material with respect to said gripping jaws beforesaid jaws and said blade cooperate to grip said sheet of material.

5. A folding unit for a cutting and folding machine comprising a folding reel including a two-part driving element having one part secured to said reel and the second part adjustably secured to the first mentioned part; dial markings on one section of said driving element; and an indicating pointer secured to the other part of said driving ele ment.

6. A folding unit for a cutting and folding machine comprising a folding reel and a creasing reel; gripping jaws on said folding reel; a creasing blade on said creasing reel; and a squaring blade adjustably secured to said folding reel. 1 v

7. In a cutting and folding machine, a cutting unit; a folding unit; an endless belt conveyer between said units to receive material from said cutting unit; and an endless belt cooperating with said conveyer at the delivery end thereof to facilitate delivery of said material to said folding unit.

8. The combination in a cutting and folding machine for a continuously moving web of material, of cutting means; means for maintaining a constant and uniform longitudinal tension on said web at all points transversely thereof as the web passes to said cutting means, said cutting means thereby ef-.

fecting a transversely extending straight line out from edge to edge of said web and perpendicular to said edges, whereby said web is successively cut into rectangular sheets and each sheet is delivered from said cutting means at an angle relative to the line of travel of sa1d Web; folding means adapted to engage and fold said out sheet on a line extending transversely of said sheet and perpen-' dicular to the longitudinal edges thereof 5and means for paralleling said angularly disposed sheet With said line of travel prior to being engaged by said folding means.

9. In a cutting and folding machine, the combination of a feeding unit, a cutting unit and a folding unit; said feeding unit being adapted to maintain a Web of material under uniform longitudinal tension at all points throughout the Width of said Web it is fed to the cutting unit; said cutting unit comprising means whereby the Web is cut into rectangular sheets of definite dimensions, the cutting operation starting at one edge of said Web and progressing in a straight line transversely totheopposite edge thereof causing the cut sheet to be delivered to the folding unit at an angle With respect to the line of travel of said out sheet; means included in means prior to said engagement therebetween.

10. In a cutting and folding machine, ro

tatable cutting means; rotatable folding" means; driving means common to both for 7 causing synchronous rotation thereof; and means for ad usting the said foldmg means around its center of rotation and relative to the saidcommon driving means whereby the operations of saidrotatable cutting and folding means maybe caused to register to produce a definite result on a single article.

. CHARLES J. BECK. 

